


Are You Ready? I'll Be Ready.

by hope_s



Series: Beautiful Trauma [6]
Category: Ocean's 8 (2018)
Genre: Developing Relationship, F/F, Film Timeline, Fluff, Fluff and Smut, Heist Timeline, Missing Scene, POV Lou, Smut, Songfic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-25
Updated: 2019-08-25
Packaged: 2020-09-26 03:43:15
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,231
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20383117
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hope_s/pseuds/hope_s
Summary: Lou missed Debbie – Debbie her friend, Debbie her lover, but also Debbie the artist, the leader. And this is a new side of her, something more tempered and refined. Debbie has a command of herself that Lou hasn’t seen before, and Lou bursts with pride at the sight of her, at the sound of her even, soothing voice.Lou doesn't pay much attention to the words of Debbie's preliminary speech. She's too busy focusing on Debbie herself...





	Are You Ready? I'll Be Ready.

**Author's Note:**

> P!nk: Beautiful Trauma  
(2017)  
Track 4 - What About Us?
> 
> ...
> 
> Sticks and stones, they may break these bones  
But then I'll be ready, are you ready?  
It's the start of us, waking up, come on  
Are you ready? I'll be ready  
I don't want control, I want to let go  
Are you ready? I'll be ready  
'Cause now it's time to let them know  
We are ready, what about us?
> 
> What about us?  
What about all the times you said you had the answers?  
So what about us?  
What about all the broken happy ever afters?  
Oh, what about us?  
What about all the plans that ended in disaster?  
Oh, what about love? What about trust?
> 
> What about us? 
> 
> ...
> 
> (April 2018)

“In three and a half weeks, the Met will be hosting its annual ball, celebrating its new costume exhibit, and we are going to rob it…”

Lou didn’t pay much attention to Debbie’s preliminary speech. She filled in a word or two here and there, mostly because she was desperately _trying_ to keep her mind on Debbie’s words and not on…well, _Debbie_. But oh, it was difficult. The way everyone else hung on Debbie’s “hypothetical situation,” the way she walked among them as though she could actually walk _through _them if she wanted, the way her simple dark outfit and dark hair emphasized the grace of her wrists and fingers and neck – it all worked to heighten Lou’s pulse and make the blood rush in her ears. She had _missed _this. She had missed Debbie – Debbie her friend, Debbie her lover, but also Debbie the _artist_, the _leader_. And this was a new side of her, something more tempered and refined. She had a command of herself that Lou hadn’t seen before, and Lou burst with pride at the sight of her, at the sound of her even, soothing voice. It was hard to remember that this was real, that she wouldn’t wake suddenly to find herself alone, waiting…Lou flicked her lighter open and closed against her thumb, and the heat of the little flame reminded her that she was awake.

“So,” Debbie was saying, “go home, get your affairs in order. Because tomorrow, we begin pulling off one of the biggest jewelry heists in history.” Lou grinned and popped her gum as Debbie finished speaking and leaned against the stage. There was a smattering of questions, but Debbie held up her hands to stop them.

“Look,” she said, eyes traveling over the faces lit in the glow of the projector screen, “save your questions, all right? They’ll probably be answered over the next couple days anyway. Starting tomorrow, this place will be open to you twenty-four/seven, but…” Debbie glanced at Lou with an ever-so-slightly pleading look. 

Lou stood up from her perch on the cluster of chairs by the screen. “We have keys for all of you – you can grab them on your way out, and we’ll convene daily at noon to go over various parts of the job. Otherwise, Debbie’s right. This is a big one, guys, and we’re all going to be running on too little sleep. Savor it while you can, and we’ll see everyone by noon tomorrow, okay?”

Debbie shot Lou a subtle smile as everyone began to move towards the door, and Lou took it as a thank-you for stepping in. They had agreed on having the loft to themselves tonight, under the guise of needing to run over the plan a few more times. It had been a busy few weeks since Debbie’s release, and Lou missed her already, even though they were spending nearly all their time together (except when Lou was at the club). Dragging her gaze away from Debbie who was ushering Rose out of the door, Lou caught Tammy’s eye. Tammy raised an eyebrow, and Lou winked in response. Tammy rolled her eyes and purposely nudged Lou in the shoulder on her way towards the door.

“They’ll find out, you know,” she whispered in Lou’s ear.

“Find out what?” Lou shot back innocently.

“You two are unbelievable,” Tammy muttered, almost to herself. 

“Oh, we _really _are,” Lou replied with a grin and another wink.

Tammy groaned. “Ugh. First, I have Debbie practically offering to fuck me in my own garage to get me into this mess, and now I have _you _doing…” She gestured at Lou in vague sort of way, searching for words. “…this,” she finished lamely, eyes darting pointedly down to Lou’s provocatively displayed cleavage. 

“This?” Lou said, raising her eyebrows questioningly and cocking her hip. 

“Well, actually _you’re _always like this,” Tammy conceded, “bit of a new look on Debbie though. I was expecting a persuasive argument, but I was _not _expecting the flirting…Wasn’t sure if she was treating me like a mark or like _you._” 

Lou grinned and adjusted the thin silk tie tucked into her vest against her bare skin. “Still got it,” she muttered, referring to both herself and to Debbie. 

“Christ, Lou.” Tammy sighed and shook her head. “Just…” She lowered her voice and leaned close to Lou so that Nine Ball and Amita, who were walking past them on their way to the door wouldn’t hear her. “…Just promise me you won’t leave again, okay? Not like before. Not unless you _both_ decide that’s the right thing.”

Lou looked at her more seriously. She owed Tammy more than she would ever be able to repay for telling her to clean up her act, for helping her get the club, for convincing her to _finally _go visit Debbie in prison three years ago. “Yeah, Tim-Tam, I…” Lou heard a slight shake in her voice and cleared her throat. “I promise.” Tammy reached out and squeezed her hand once before disappearing out of the door.

“What was that about?” Debbie asked, walking past Lou on her way from the door, which had just closed behind the Constance. Lou noted the tension dissipating from Debbie’s posture now that everyone else had left. 

Lou shrugged. “Tammy was just looking out for you.” Lou leaned against the back of one of the armchairs as Debbie opened the curtains draped over the high windows and then walked back to the center of the room to turn off the projector. Its hum died to silence, and Debbie came to stand in front of Lou, leaning into her. Lou uncrossed her legs and slid her hands over black silk to rest them against Debbie’s lower back, tugging her close and fiddling with the belt loops of her dark-wash jeans.

“What do you mean?” Debbie asked, twisting her fingers around a few strands of Lou’s hair. Her eyes searched Lou’s face curiously.

Lou averted her gaze and moved one of her hands to fiddle with the top button of Debbie’s blouse. “She…” Lou began. Debbie’s hands moved from Lou’s hairline to her shoulders, and the gentle pressure was reassuring. “She wanted to make sure I wasn’t going to leave you again…at least, not like before.”

“She worries too much,” Debbie said lightly.

Lou smiled gratefully. “I won’t, though, you know? I won’t leave again. Not like that.”

Debbie frowned in a contemplative way and nodded her head slowly. Then she shrugged as if she had come to a decision. “No,” she said, “I don’t think you will.”

Lou smiled at her again and then grinned mischievously.

“What? Why are you looking at me like that?” Debbie asked, leaning back in Lou’s arms to get a better look at her face.

“Did you _really _flirt with Tammy to get her into this job?”

Debbie blushed and rolled her eyes. “I mean, a little, yeah. Had to mix things up.”

“Oh, I’m not complaining,” Lou said quickly, “She was _very _flustered…Seemed to think you were taking a page out of my book.”

Debbie let her gaze drop to Lou’s cleavage and travel slowly back up to her eyes. Lou’s skin burned. “Maybe I was,” Debbie admitted.

“The words she actually used were ‘offered to fuck me in my own garage,’” Lou said and snickered.

Debbie snorted with laughter. “Oh, she wishes,” Debbie said, her voice higher and tinnier as she tried to speak through her laugh.

Lou watched Debbie laugh and felt a lump grow in her throat even as she herself tried to contain her mirth. _Oh, _she had missed her. She _still _missed her, even though she was _right _there in her arms. The wave of affection that crashed over her made Lou weak at the knees. 

Debbie’s laughter faded slowly, and at last they stood again in silence. “Well, I wasn’t _nearly _that explicit,” Debbie said, pretending to be serious, though Lou saw her mouth twitch. “Are you jealous, baby?” Debbie added, tilting her head to bring her lips close to Lou’s ear.

Lou scoffed, though her heart beat quickly in her chest. They had _never_ talked about this, not in all their time together. They had never discussed exclusivity, never said what they were to each other in a romantic sense. They had _loved _each other – Lou was sure of that, even if she knew that Debbie wasn’t quite aware of it yet. “No,” Lou answered Debbie’s question honestly, despite the tangent her brain seemed to be taking. “I think I’m too old to be jealous, and besides…” She raised her right hand to brush Debbie’s hair off the side of her face, letting her fingers rest just behind her ear. “I know you’re my girl.”

Debbie’s eyes pierced Lou’s with an intensity akin to lightning. Her lips parted slightly, and her eyes widened. “I…” Debbie stammered.

Lou grinned at her. She didn’t expect Debbie to be able to respond to a line like that, not without sarcasm. It seemed to take Debbie longer than usual to find a witty response, and Lou waited, running her thumb along Debbie’s cheekbone to her hairline and back, over and over again.

“Good thing I didn’t fuck Tammy in her garage, then,” Debbie said finally through an exaggerated sigh. The humor was weaker than her usual wont, but Lou laughed anyway.

“And why’s that?” Lou asked, letting a playful edge creep into her voice. 

Debbie didn’t speak. Instead she leaned forward and cupped the back of Lou’s head in one hand. The moment their lips touched reminded Lou of the flare of a match. There had been a tension building between them all day enhanced by the draw of their last evening of guaranteed solitude. It had made Lou hyper-aware of all of Debbie’s movements and glances. Lou had chosen her outfit this morning with the full knowledge that Debbie would (most likely) be the one removing it, knew this particular three-piece, navy-blue ensemble was one of Debbie’s favorites. Sure enough, Lou noted a certain reverence in the careful movements of Debbie’s fingers slipping under the lapels of her blazer.

“You know, for as much of a flirt as you are,” Debbie murmured between the kisses she was placing along Lou’s neck. Lou found it difficult to pay attention to the words, rather than to the sensation of Debbie’s mouth against her skin. “You certainly make it _very _difficult for anyone to undress you,” she finished, tugging at Lou’s silk tie with her teeth and nudging her collection of necklaces with her nose.

Lou laughed softly. “That’s part of the fun, honey,” she murmured. She tilted Debbie’s chin upwards just enough to capture her lips again, feeling sparks travel down her arms and legs.

“Fun for whom?” Debbie mused, lips moving against Lou’s as she unclasped her necklaces one by one and let them fall. Some landed on the floor, and some fell into Lou’s vest. The chains tickled Lou’s skin, and she shivered slightly.

“Hmm,” Lou hummed, pretending to consider Debbie’s question. “Don’t you enjoy the challenge?”

“Sometimes,” Debbie replied with a shrug as she undid the final necklace and moved her hands to the buttons of Lou’s vest, deftly undoing each one. Lou felt her eyelids flutter as Debbie’s fingertips brushed against her sternum and then her stomach and then…Lou gave a shaky gasp as Debbie ran one finger from one hip bone to the other, just below the waistband of her pants. Debbie’s eyes flicked up to hers looking smug. “Right now, though,” Debbie murmured, tilting her head as though calculating her next move, “I’m a little impatient.”

“Is that right?” Lou teased. She mirrored Debbie’s movements and unfastened each button of her blouse with steady fingers.

“Oh, you have _no _idea,” Debbie said with a hint of a groan. The movement of her hands changed suddenly. She tugged at the fastening of Lou’s pants as Lou hastened to undo Debbie’s. Their lips met again, but this time it was all tongue and teeth and bruising pressure. Debbie’s lips were swollen and pink when she pulled back just enough to tug Lou around to the front of the armchair by her silk tie and push her down into it. Alerted by the rough fabric against her skin, Lou realized that Debbie had relieved her of her pants and – somehow – her shoes. She felt vulnerable – vulnerable and wonderful and _free._ She leaned back in the chair in only her underwear and bra watching Debbie slip out of her ankle boots and stand between her knees.

Debbie slid her dark gray sweater and already-unbuttoned black blouse from her shoulders, and Lou felt her breath hitch as she realized Debbie had foregone a bra today. Was that for her benefit? The thought flitted through Lou’s mind, but she was far too distracted to pay much attention to it. Debbie smiled down at her and swept her long, dark hair to one side. She pinched her own nipple between two fingers, and Lou moved her hands from behind her head to the arms of the chair. She grasped at the fabric, heat pooling between her legs at the sight before her. Debbie’s right hand moved to her unfastened jeans. She hesitated for a moment, and Lou flicked her eyes upwards to Debbie’s face. Her mouth was dry in anticipation of Debbie’s next move, but Debbie’s impassive gaze gave nothing away. Instead, Lou’s eyes were drawn lower once more as Debbie’s right hand disappeared into her pants. Debbie moaned quietly, and Lou fought the urge to lean forward and replace Debbie’s hand with her own. She knew, however, that Debbie wanted to put on a show, and that the last thing Lou wanted was to miss whatever she was planning. Debbie’s hand reappeared a few seconds later, and Lou’s mouth watered at the sight of Debbie’s evident arousal glistening on her fingers.

Lou felt her lips part as she let out an involuntary, whimpering sigh. Debbie smiled and leaned forward with her left hand balanced on the arm of the chair and her right inching closer to Lou’s mouth. The moisture on her fingertips was so enticing that Lou found herself moaning at the mere thought of tasting it, tasting _her_. Debbie’s fingers pushed into her mouth, and Lou sucked hard, swirling her tongue over the digits until all she could taste was Debbie. Lou heard Debbie hum a sound of pleased affection as Lou finally released her fingers. Debbie took a step back and slid her jeans down her legs, pausing only long enough for Lou to register that she had also neglected to wear panties. Lou heard herself groan, because now she _knew _that the lack of underwear was intentional, that this had been her plan all along. 

Debbie knelt in front of Lou and looked at her expectantly. “Baby?” Debbie prompted. Lou heard a note of command in Debbie’s voice that made her entire body hum. Losing control of herself entirely, Lou scooted her hips forward in the armchair and let her knees fall open. Debbie smiled broadly and leaned in to nuzzle her face against Lou’s groin. Lou’s knuckles were white on the arms of the chair.

“Debs,” she muttered, “please don’t tease. I can’t—” 

“Hey,” Debbie said reassuringly, placing a warm hand against Lou’s inner thigh and massaging gently. “I told you I was impatient, didn’t I?”

“Prove it,” Lou said breathlessly, knowing she sounded desperate and finding that she didn’t much care. She moaned as Debbie hooked two fingers of her left hand around her underwear and pulled them to the side. The pressure of Debbie’s tongue against her was almost too much at first, and Lou squirmed for a moment or two before relaxing into the heat of her mouth. How had she gone ten years without this? How had she forgotten how _good_ this felt? She tried desperately to keep her eyes open and fixed on Debbie, who was gazing up at her through dark lashes that fluttered every so often against her cheeks.

“You’re already dripping, baby,” Debbie informed her matter-of-factly as she briefly pulled away from Lou to make space for her fingers to join her tongue. 

“_Fuck_,” Lou cursed, letting her head fall back for a moment and feeling a wave of electricity flow through her at the combined sensation of Debbie’s tongue and Debbie’s fingers mingling with her words and her deep, dark eyes. “I’m close, Debs,” Lou gasped, rocking herself more firmly onto Debbie’s fingers.

“I know,” Debbie said frankly, reaching up with her free hand to graze Lou’s lower abdomen with the back of her free hand. “You missed me.” Lou felt Debbie curl her fingers just a little more as she pressed the flat of her tongue over her, and every muscle pulsed outward from Lou’s core. Waves of warm, comforting pleasure washed over her as Debbie kept up the slow motions of her tongue and fingers, extending the sensations until Lou twitched and quivered at every movement. Debbie let her right hand fall heavy and wet onto her own thigh, and she leaned her cheek against Lou’s leg. Lou felt her take a deep breath, and she raised a hand to run her fingers through Debbie’s hair.

“I _did_ miss you, Debs,” Lou said softly, still a little breathless. “I’m glad you know that.” Debbie smiled up at her with such warmth that it made Lou’s heart quiver in her chest. “And,” Lou continued, realizing that now would be a good moment to ask the question she had been considering all day, “if you want, now that I’m mostly done with night shifts at the club, well…” She passed her hand through Debbie’s hair again and noticed a glimmer of hope in Debbie’s eyes. “Well, I wondered if you wanted to sleep…you know…with me. In my bed. I mean, your room is still yours, of course…but I just thought, since I won’t be getting back late anymore…” Lou blushed slightly at her own rambling, but she felt it was important to extend this offer. They had shared Lou’s bed on Debbie’s first night at the loft, but since then, their schedules hadn’t really been conducive to sleeping together. Now however, Lou suspected that the closeness might be good for both of them as Debbie’s plans moved forward. “I just thought, you might want to—”

“Yes,” Debbie said, cutting Lou off and placing burning kisses along Lou’s thigh. “I want to, baby, I…thank you.” She paused suddenly in her furious attack on Lou’s thigh and looked straight into her eyes, and Lou knew she wasn’t just thanking her for inviting her into her bed. She was thanking her for _asking,_ for initiating the request for intimacy that Debbie found so difficult to articulate herself. Debbie reached for Lou at the same moment Lou reached for Debbie. Lou had slid so far down in the armchair that the tug of Debbie’s arms pulled her off the cushion and onto Debbie’s lap on the floor. Her momentary surprise at the change of position was forgotten as soon as she registered Debbie’s warm wetness pressing against the side of her hip.

“You’re dripping onto my carpet, honey,” Lou admonished teasingly, shifting to press Debbie back onto the floor with her thigh between her legs.

Debbie scoffed. “As if you care,” she said replied breathlessly.

“No,” Lou agreed, pressing her thigh more firmly against Debbie and feeling a thrill rush through her at the hiss of breath she received in response. “I don’t.”

“I…” Debbie moaned and arched her back as Lou brought her mouth to Debbie’s left nipple, sucking hard. “I ruined my pants, too…watching…” She whimpered and ground down onto Lou’s thigh.

“Watching what, honey?” Lou prompted conversationally as she shifted to Debbie’s right breast. Debbie’s eyes fluttered closed. 

“Watching…” Debbie groaned as Lou wiggled a hand between them and ran her fingers through Debbie’s arousal. “…watching you…your…” Her breath came in sharp pants as Lou added more pressure to her movements. “…your legs…your…that…that vest…” Debbie moaned and reached up blindly to pull Lou’s mouth close to her own. “…the way you…” Lou slipped two fingers inside her and reveled in the way Debbie choked on her words, mouth moving over lost syllables.

“The way I _what_?” The sight of Debbie – the _feel _of her – was more than a little bit of an aphrodisiac, and Lou heard her own voice deepen as warmth bloomed in her abdomen once more.

“You…sitting there…watching _me_…oh, _fuck_, baby.” Debbie’s voice was barely more than a breathy whimper, and she gasped the words between the thrusts of Lou’s fingers inside her.

Lou hummed a small noise of approval at Debbie’s apparent willingness to continue trying to talk despite her current state. She could tell she was close, though. It would take far more than a decade for Lou to forget the way Debbie’s cheeks flushed, the way her nipples darkened, the way her thighs quivered in anticipation of release. Their first night back together had been about relearning each other, and the warmth and tenderness of it had brought tears to Lou’s eyes and a tightness to her chest. This was something else, but it was something equally _them_. It reminded Lou of late nights surrounded by forged poker chips and old account numbers, nights filled with memories Lou had tried to forget in their years apart, nights that now – after all these years – felt like a beginning rather than an ending.

Lou tilted her head and grazed her teeth along Debbie’s shoulder and up to her right ear. “It worked on me, too, honey,” Lou murmured. Debbie’s lips closed briefly into a smile, and Lou knew she was drinking in every word. “Watching you reel them all in, reeling _me _in…I was so wet for you, Debs, so wet – I’m still so wet for you…wanting _you_ all day…knowing I would get to do _this_…” Lou bit down on the sensitive skin between Debbie’s neck and shoulder, knowing she might leave a mark that Debbie would complain about having to cover up. But _oh, _it was worth it, Lou thought as she added a third finger inside Debbie. The additional pressure pushed her over the edge, and Lou massaged her fingers slowly inside her until she relaxed onto the rug.

Debbie laughed softly as Lou pushed herself off her just enough to flop down at her side. It wasn’t comfortable; the old rug was itchy, and Lou suspected that Debbie’s shoulders and hips might regret the prolonged contact with it later. Her own knees felt slightly numb and sore where she had pivoted on them as she leaned over Debbie. Lou draped herself half-over Debbie, propping her chin just under her collarbone and looking up at her.

“And here was me, thinking we were too old for fucking on the floor,” Lou said. She reached up to plant a kiss under Debbie’s jaw and then settled her head back on her chest. 

Debbie closed her eyes and shook her head slowly back and forth, her mouth twitching into a contagious smile. “Some people would say you’re too old to not wear shirts under vests, but that hasn’t stopped you.”

Lou chuckled and let her eyes close, breathing deeply. It was incredible, really, how only a few short weeks could pull her back under Debbie’s spell so completely and irrevocably that – at moments like these – it was as if they had never been apart. The ease of it was startling despite the reminders that lurked around them: the lack of alcohol apart from beer and wine in the loft, the Polaroids on the wall in the corner that were far more faded than they had been ten years ago, the loft _itself – _of course – which was more than five times the size of anywhere else they had lived, the knotted scar around Debbie’s left breast that made both of them shiver when Lou touched it. Not for the first time, Lou wondered if they could have ever gotten here had it not been for their ten years apart. Would they have flickered and gone out if she had stayed all those years ago? Would Debbie have ever figured out how to achieve her dream job if she hadn’t gone to prison?

“Baby?” Debbie murmured, interrupting Lou’s thoughts. Lou was grateful. There were some questions that didn’t need to be answered, because right now, they were both here – together. Lou opened her eyes to find Debbie’ looking down at her with a serious and almost shy expression.

“Yeah?”

“You were right.”

“Was I?”

“About me.”

Lou furrowed her brow, unsure of what Debbie meant.

Debbie smiled and stroked the side of Lou’s face. Lou’s eyelids flickered at the touch, but she made a concerted effort to keep her eyes open and fixed on Debbie’s.

“What do you mean, Debs?” Lou asked finally when Debbie’s explanation wasn’t forthcoming.

“Oh, just that…well…” Debbie blushed, and Lou’s heart beat quickly. Debbie wasn’t usually coy.

“Debbie?”

“That I’m your girl,” Debbie whispered, letting the words fall out in a sigh.

Lou tightened her hold on Debbie and melted into her warmth. “I’m your girl, too, Debs. I’m your girl.”

**Author's Note:**

> Here's the song with all the lyrics:
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=84yFcn-U9b8
> 
> ***
> 
> I debated on an Explicit rating for this one - let me know if you think I should change it. 
> 
> As I mentioned in the previous fic, if you want to read my version of their actual reunion/first night together after Debbie gets out, go to Chapter Three of "Sonata for Silence and Two Pairs of Stilettos." 
> 
> ***
> 
> SERIES NOTE
> 
> There will be 13 fics in this series, so please please subscribe to/bookmark the series (rather than/in addition to individual fics). I am posting the stories chronologically as they in fall in Debbie and Lou's timeline, rather than in the track order from the album. New ones will be posted every Friday (except for this one because I was on vacation sans internet last week). There will be pre-canon, movie timeline, and post-canon stuff, and it all fits in with my Loubbie headcanon from my other [non-AU] words. I can ONE HUNDRED PERCENT PROMISE that the series will end happily. 
> 
> ***  
As always, love and thanks to my beautiful girlfriend, go_get_your_top_hat, for beta-ing <3
> 
> I love kudos and comments! <3 :)


End file.
